


helping hand

by perfectlyrose



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Bookstore, Christmas Presents, F/M, First Meetings, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-06
Updated: 2017-08-06
Packaged: 2018-12-11 18:26:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11720007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/perfectlyrose/pseuds/perfectlyrose
Summary: Rose needs help picking out a last minute present for the holiday gift exchange at work. She finds a rather attractive employee at Idris Books to assist her in selecting a book.





	helping hand

Rose was panicking. That was the only way to put it. She had forgotten to pick up a gift for the Secret Santa exchange at work and the deadline was tomorrow. The info sheet she’d received had mostly mentioned books and tea and a love of traveling. She wasn’t about to buy tea for someone who she didn’t know and couldn’t ask about their tea habits so that really left her with books. 

At least the person had put down a couple of genres that they liked, and if she absolutely couldn’t find anything fitting, there was always the gift card route. That screamed last minute though, and Rose would rather her recipient not know that she forgot about them.

She nipped into the first bookshop she found. Idris Books was a cozy place, full of soft golden light and a maze of shelves with seating scattered throughout. It was the kind of place Rose would like to spend an entire afternoon in, forgetting that the world outside existed, but today was not that day.

It took her a few minutes to find the sci-fi section in the bookstore but once she finally stood in front of the shop’s collection, she was completely lost. Sci-fi had been first on her recipients list of book genres but it wasn’t one that she usually read.

Rose had no idea where to start. She stared at the shelf, eyes glancing over the myriad titles as she worried at her bottom lip. A noise to her left startled her and she turned to find a man reshelving some books on the next bookcase over.

“Excuse me, could you help me?” Rose asked.

The man turned with a small smile on his face and Rose drew in a quick breath as his soft blue eyes locked onto her. She was definitely going to have to come back to this shop if it employed someone who looked like  _ this _ . 

“Depends on what you need help with,” he said, eyes twinkling. 

“I’m looking for a book to give as a gift. I don’t know the person but they said they like sci-fi and…” she trailed off and gave him a hopeful smile. “I’m really lost.”

He chuckled and Rose felt a shiver go down her spine. That kind of decadent sound should really be illegal, she thought.

“You’re in luck. Sci-fi happens to be my favorite.”

“You’re my hero.”

He flashed a grin. “You never know, my taste could be terrible.”

“Still probably better than me picking something at random,” she shot back.

“Maybe. So, do you know anything else about what your lucky recipient likes to read?”

“Not really,” Rose said with a grimace. “It’s for a work gift exchange and the powers that be decided that we were doing Secret Santa as some sort of double blind or something so I don’t even know the person’s name. Apparently last year too many people gave themselves away by suddenly befriending their recipient to try and get them a better gift. Heaven forbid we make friends during the holiday season.”

“Sounds frustrating,” he said, peering at the books now instead of her.

“Supremely. The person did say they liked fantasy and history as well, if that helps any.”

The man reached out and plucked a book off the shelf. “How about this one? I haven’t actually read it but it’s been on my list for ages and the author’s other books are wonderful. Bit sci-fi, bit fantasy, so I’m sure whoever you’re buying for will love it.”

“Sounds perfect.” Rose said. “You are seriously a lifesaver.”

“I do try my best,” he said. His grin was bright and magnetic and Rose felt herself smile in return.

“Well, thank you. I’ve got to get going. Probably already going to be late to dinner but…” she waved the book, “there’s a good reason.”

His smile dimmed a bit. “Ah, right. Well, I do hope the person enjoys the book. Maybe we’ll run into each other again and you can tell me how it went over and if I have terrible taste or not.”

Rose laughed and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “I’d like that. Hopefully I’ll see you around.”

She thanked him again and hurried over to the counter to pay for her book. She really was going to be late to her weekly dinner with Jackie and she hated the lecture she got when that happened.

The next day, Rose showed up to the office party with the book wrapped in a cheery plaid paper and festooned in ribbon. She’d carefully written the number eight on the tag as that was the number assigned to her recipient in this whole shebang.

She herself had put on her favorite red dress and slicked on lipstick to match and was feeling properly festive now that the stress of getting a gift was off her shoulders. She couldn’t wait to find out if her recipient liked the book so she had a good reason to seek out the man who’d helped her at Idris Books and let him know.

Rose was picking up a glass of punch when she heard the person handing out gifts call number eight. She turned around just in time to see a man with a riot of dark curls get handed her gift. A flicker of recognition tugged at her but she couldn’t quite put a finger on it when all she could see was the back of the man’s head.

She started to make her way through the small crowd as the man tore into the paper. Rose was right behind him when he laughed upon seeing the cover of the book.

The sound sent a shiver down her spine and her mouth dropped open. It couldn’t be him, could it?

He turned around and those blue eyes settled on her once again, expression just as shocked as hers.

“Looks like I was spot on with picking out a book for your Secret Santa,” he said with a smile once he’d recovered slightly.

Rose reached out and shoved at his shoulder lightly. “You git, I thought you worked at the bookstore!”

“Obviously not. I’m friends with the owner though and was helping out with shelving.”

Rose groaned. “I can’t believe you managed to pick out your own present! I don’t even know you!”

“My names Edward Smythe,” he said, holding out his hand.

“Rose Tyler. I work in marketing.” Her last word almost cut off before the end as he took her hand and raised it to brush a kiss across her knuckles instead of just shaking it.

“I’m down in the research labs,” he said. 

“So that’s introductions done.”

“It does seem that way.”

Silence fell between them and Rose bit her lip from a moment, heedless of her lipstick. “I was going to come back to the bookshop to talk to you again,” she blurted out.

“Were you?”

“Well, thought you worked there, didn’t I?”

He smiled and she swayed towards him, inexorably pulled in. “Were you just looking to tell me whether I liked my present or not?”

“That was going to be my excuse, yeah, but I really just wanted to talk to you again,” she admitted. “Might have also wanted to give you my phone number, or something. Was in a bit of a hurry yesterday.”

His grin faltered, eyes shuttering slightly. “Right, yes. It sounded like you had a dinner date.”

Rose stared at him in confusion for a moment before it clicked into place. “Yeah, I did,” she started, smile growing wider by the second. “With my mum. Standing Thursday date and she lectures me when I’m late despite the fact that I’m a grown woman.”

Edward lit back up, hope dancing behind his eyes. “Well, Rose Tyler, I can save you the trouble of going back to the shop if you’d rather give me your number now.”

“Mmm, I think that sounds like a wonderful idea. Dinner tomorrow sounds even better.”

“I like the way you think. It’s a date.”

She smiled up at him, tongue sneaking out the corner of her grin. “Good.”


End file.
